Category Archives: Community

As a child, I remember walking through grandmother’s garden. The whole thing was huge and ringed with marigolds to keep the bugs and rabbits out (not sure if that trick works or not). The rows were neat and weed free and everything that the family would eat during the winter was growing there. In my mother’s slightly smaller garden, I learned how to keep the rows weed free with a hoe and a lot of hard work in the hot summer sun. As an adult, I live on a lot in the city where there is not enough space for a huge garden. However, I still want to grow some of my own food. Let’s be honest, it just tastes better than the produce you buy at the store. I am going to give you some tips on how to grow your own veggies in a small space.

Choose a good location for your garden. This should be an area with 6-8 hours of sun light. To prepare the soil remove the grass or sod growing in that area. You can place this in your compost pile to break down for use in your garden next year. Dig up the soil with a garden fork or tiller and add 2” of organic matter or compost. Fluff the soil again until it is loose and crumbly. Your “bed” is now ready.

When deciding which plants to grow you have two choices, either start them from seed or let someone else do the work and start with a small plant. If you’re starting with a small plant, it is important to purchase your plants from a local nursery that you trust. Though the box stores might have cheaper product you can never tell what diseases they might be selling as well.www.extension.org/…/Plant_Disease_Threatens_Tomatoes_and_Potatoes

Great plants for beginners would be tomatoes, bush beans, peppers, and cucumbers. You can grow early spring crops of leaf lettuce and peas.

Plant at least 2 but no more than 3 plants of every plant; unless you have a huge family or plan on canning or freezing the excess. Plant the plants with enough space to grow, 2 to 3’ spacing for tomatoes. 3’ space for cucumber etc. I let my cucumber vine trail through the tomatoes to keep the weeds down. After planting, you should water carefully and soak the soil at least 1” deep. I place newspaper in between the rows and cover them with grass clippings to reduce the weed growth . After all, who has time to weed a garden these days? This will break down over time and you can till the organic matter back into the garden in the spring.

It is always good to remember that any chemical product will leave a residue which you will then consume, not a good thing if you want to live a long life. For fertilizer you have several organic options. Cow or poultry manure can be applied to the soil and worked in before planting or you can use topdressing of fish emulsion or bone meal.

With these tips you can grow enough food for fresh salsa, BLT’s minus the B of course, or a cucumber salad in a space as small as 10’x10’. Pick and enjoy!

What would youdo if money was tight and you couldn’t scrape together enough to feed your dog? Who could you turn to if you had to move out of your home and couldn’t take your cat with you? What would you do if those big brown sappy puppy dog eyes were looking up at you, pleading that their belly was empty.

You turn to the Pet Project Midwest.

TimberPine is partnering with the Pet Project Midwest to help the families of our four-legged friends. Bring a donation of dry cat or dog food, or litter to TimberPine on Saturday, May 8th and receive a coupon for $5 off your plant purchase!

The Pet Project Midwest came together in August 2009 when five women, each passionate about animal welfare, began a conversation about their dreams for making Iowa a better place for animals. They soon realized there was a need for action and that by working together they could make their dreams a reality.

Today, the Pet Project Midwest is a non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention of cruelty to animals in Iowa and surrounding states. They receive financial support through private donations, corporate sponsorships, and grants. The management team is an unsalaried board of directors.

Find out more about the Pet Project Midwest and see how you can help bring a lil smile to our pawed friends.

Then we’ve got the run for you!

Kickoff your spring with a 5K Pansy Run/Walk at TimberPine! Join us Saturday, May 1st for an off-road race through our 120 acre nursery filled with meadows and trees bursting with all the spring’s colors. Consider this run slightly “pansier” than last fall’s PumpkinFest 5K and if you can’t make the whole 5K..we’ll have a “pansy out” option at the 1 mile maker.

The timed race starts at 9:30am but, if you and/or your family can’t make that slot, the course is available for open run from 10:30-3:00pm that day!

First 400 participants receive a FREE Pansy Basket!

Proceeds for the Pansy Run/Walk are benefiting local area participating schools’ PE programs. You can choose your school district or have your proceeds distributed over all the schools on the list.

To register, go to our website to download form to be mailed in, or online at active.com

The call out came from Lessing Flynn’s gurus: AdMavericks and it was heard….boy was it ever heard….loud and clear throughout Twitter, Facebook, the coffee shop, on the streets…children were chanting the theme song to Top Gun. All in the spirit of finding their Commenter of the Year. The one that could rise above the rest, the one who could set the pace within the social media blur and the one who would relinquish the “lurking status’ and actually leave a comment. But not just any comment…one that would contribute to the conversation, that would enlighten the AdMaverick following or just make you all laugh. The stakes were high and the prizes even higher.

After all the buzz…the taunting….the teasing and joking around, the winner was chosen. The one and only PR Princess ~ Claire Celsi was found the most worthy with her royal comment: “Where is the corporate communications to tell them to stop acting so stupid?”

Congrats to Claire! As Commenter of the Year she receives a FREE Maple tree and installation from TimberPine along with several other great prizes! We’re anxious to show you what we’ve got to choose from!